US demand for disposable medical supplies is forecast to increase 4.3
percent annually to $46.7 billion in 2016.  Growth will be
promoted by an expanding volume of patient care activity spurred by aging
demographic patterns, a rising incidence of diseases and disorders, and the
extension of health insurance coverage by the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (if
left unmodified and phased in according to schedule).  Demand for
disposable medical supplies will also build upward momentum as hospitals,
outpatient facilities and other health care establishments adopt stricter
infection prevention safeguards to meet standards recommended by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Joint Commission on the
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).  These and other
trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in Disposable
Medical Supplies, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc.,
a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.  

Drug delivery devices will remain the largest and fastest growing group
of disposable medical supplies.  Growth will reflect an
expanding number of chronic care patients who require surgery or continuous
therapy.  This trend, coupled with the introduction of new higher
value-added, safety enhanced products, will boost demand for prefillable
syringes and inhalers, intravenous catheters, oxygen therapy disposables,
hemodialysis bloodlines and peritoneal dialysis kits.

Demand for wound management supplies will reach $10.1 billion in 2016. 
Tissue sealants composed of polymers and bioengineered substances, along with
alginate, foam, collagen and growth factor wound dressings, will post the
fastest gains based on safe and effective healing properties. 

Class IV surgical drapes and gowns will net the strongest sales gains
among nonwoven medical textiles as infection prevention
safeguards are upgraded by hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. 
Disposable face masks will also fare well in the marketplace, benefiting from
routine use by medical providers in direct contact patient procedures.  Among other disposable
medical supplies, blood glucose test strips -- along with surgical, diagnostic
and urinary catheters -- will realize the fastest growth in demand. 
An expanding number of diabetics engaging in self-testing will boost sales of
blood glucose test strips.  A rising prevalence of heart conditions will
promote the increasing use of angiography and angioplasty catheters.  The
market for urinary catheters will benefit from expanded Medicare coverage for intermittent
drainage products needed by chronic incontinence patients.

The Freedonia Group is
a leading international business
research company, founded in 1985, that publishes more than 100 industry
research studies annually. This industry analysis provides an unbiased outlook
and a reliable assessment of an industry and includes product
segmentation and demand forecasts, industry trends, demand history, threats
and opportunities, competitive strategies, market share determinations and
company profiles.